Jurassic World

This is a big, blockbuster, wildride type of movie. Lots of great CGI (computer generated imagery for you non-Hollywood types), good guys and bad guys, and good clean gory fun.

It seems that big business had built a new theme park on the site of the original Jurassic Park. The problem is that people are becoming bored with dinosaurs and always want something bigger, meaner, and more cruel. Science goes awry and mixes a number of critters to make a T-Rex type lizard, only bigger, meaner and unfortunately smarter. Its name: Indominus Rex.

Our hero, Owen, played by  Chris Pratt,  has been able to train four raptors to sort of ‘obey’ him much like a lion tamer, but don’t turn your back. However evil militarist  Hoskins (Vincent D’Onofrio) has other ideas. (Did you ever notice that the good guys go by first names but the bad guys by their surname?) He wants to ‘weaponise’ the raptors and use them as killing machines in battle.

Jurassic World has built a special enclosure for their their I REX, and when Chris visits the big guy tricks the keepers into thinking it has escaped, then really escapes, and goes on a dino killing spree.  At one point it catches the nephews of the  park’s senior manager, Clair (Bryce Dallas Howard, Ron’s Daughter) in a really neat clear sphere and…. Well you really should see this movie.  Naturally, Clair and Owen have to team up to save the day.

The one comment that has made headlines concerning Jurassic World is just how in hell could Clair out run raptors and an I Rex in high heels? Ah the magic of movies.

Just as Jurassic Park, this movie is an allegory of “don’t mess with mother nature.” Its hard to believe that someone smart enough to splice genes could be so stupid as to follow to the letter a memo sent down by corporate. But there you go.

Jurassic World is derivative of its predecessor, Jurassic Park, with a number of scenes if not copied directly, certainly in the director’s mind when the scene was shot. One that comes to mind is the scene in Jurassic Park when the driver looks in his rear view mirror and sees the TRex bearing down on him.  Another might be the scene where the tech who is stealing the DNA samples gets trapped in a car with a raptor. This reference to history only adds to the fun and provides some comic relief to the mayhem.

All that having been said, this is a good movie, the acting is journeyman quality, and the scale would make Cecil B DeMille proud.

Go make a deposit in Steven Spielberg’s bank account and  have a great time visiting Jurassic World.

JVH